Chain conveyors

ABSTRACT

A chain conveyor comprises links connected for universal flexure and guided and supported by structure faced with lubricated porous material of undulating form. The links are chamfered so that a wedge of lubricant is formed between the crests of the undulations and the links.

1111 3,744,618 1 July 10, 1973 CHAIN CONVEYORS [76] Inventors: Maxim'eMonne, 19 bis Bld,

Delessert F 75; Michel Eudier, 3 rue Andrieux F 75, both of Paris,France 221 Filed: May 26,1971 21 Appl. No.: 147,144

2,066,206 12/1936 Laurie H 108/1114 3,250.37) 5/1966 Leach A t 1 6lull/loll 3,509,987 5/1970 Fluith c1211 0. 198/195 PrimaryExaminer-Edward A. Sroka Assistant Examiner-Hadd S. Lane Attorney-ArnoldRobinson 52 US. (:1. .Q 198/177, 198/168 1 [57] T Q [51 161.131. 865g19/00 A cham conveyor comprises lmks connected for [58] Field 61' Search198/204, 184, 168, versal flexure and guided and Supported y Structure 395 177 faced with lubricated porous material of undulating form. Thelinks are chamfered so that a wedge of 5 m- Cited lubricant is formedbetween the crests of the undula- UNITED STATES PATENTS and 2,747,7255/1956 Hatch eta}. 198/204 X 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 13 l .L 6 a'PAIENIEU JUL 1 0 191a CHAIN CONVEYORS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.Field of the Invention This invention relates to chain conveyors.

2. Description of the Prior Art Conveyors produced up to the presenttime are generally constituted by a series of carriages or trolleyswhich are provided on their upper parts with rollers engaged on asupport rail and guide rail and which are interconnected by lengths ofchain arranged externally of this rail or which themselves constitutelinks of a chain arranged internally of the rail.

Such conveyors have the disadvantage of being noisy and besides areoperable only at relatively low speeds. Moreover, particular arrangementmust be provided in the external chain conveyor in order to guide thelengths of chain in or through bends, in such a manner that thecarriages or trolleys are pulled only in their displacement directionand not laterally.

An object of the invention is the provision of an improved chainconveyor which overcomes these disadvantages and which obviates rollerbearings, ball bearings, cardan joints and similar devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there isprovided in a chain conveyor, a plurality of interconnected links, meansfor supporting loads from at least some of the links, and guide andsupport structure for the links, at least a support surface of thestructure having a lubricated antifriction face on which the links canslide, said face being form (I with undulations.

The anti-friction surfaces need to be provided only on the lower pail tof the rail supporting the links; but they may also be provided on thelateral parts of this rail, in order to provide guidance of the linksand to facilitate their movement through bends, as well as on the upperpart when: the rail has upwardly or downwardly inclined portions.

In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, the anti-frictionsurfaces are of a porous material and means are provided for supplyingair or oil under pressure. 1

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a cross-section of oneembodiment of a conveyor in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a slide surface of the conveyor; and I FIG. 4is a fragmentary section of a detail of a modifi cation of theembodiment of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As is shown in the drawing, theconveyor comprises a guide rail 1 and a chain which can be displacedwithin the rail and from which loads are suspended. The chain comprisesinternal links 2 and external links 3.

Each of the external links 3 is formed from two portions 3a and 3b whichare secured together by one or more pins 4. At each end of each link 3there is a recess 5 of which the wall 5a is spherical and which expandsoutwardly into a diverging opening 6. The upper and lower edges of theselinks are chamfered as indicated at 7.

Each of the links 2 is terminated by a part-spherical head 8 engaged inthe recess 5 of one of the internal links 3 and abuts against the wall5a of the recess.

It will thus be seen that the links 3 are effectively con nected by balland socket joints, the diverging opening 6 of the link 3 allowing forthe disengagement of the adjacent link 2. V

The loads to be carried are suspended from the links 3, for examplethrough the intermediary of the pins 4 and possibly by the links 2.

The rail 1 is formed by two channel-section members 9, of which theflanges are horizontal or substantially horizontal and which areinterconnected at their upper parts, by connections, not shown.

Slide surfaces 10 of a self-lubricating material, produced, for example,by sintering are mounted on the lower flanges. The upper faces of theseslide surfaces have a shallow V wave form 11, the inclination of thewave surfaces with respect to the mean or average direction of the slidesurface being about 0.6 to 0.2 percent. The links 3 thus rest on thecrests 11a of these waves or undulations.

Conventional means, not shown, provide for the con tinuous displacementof the chain, and may comprise a motor or other drive acting for examplethrough gearing or an auxiliary chain provided with means in em gagementwith the conveyor chain.

In operation, as the chain is displaced within the rail 1, the links 3slide on the crests 11a of the self lubricated slide surfaces 10. Theoil which impregnates these surfaces forms, owing to the presence of theinclined faces 11 and the chamfers 7, a hydrodynamic wedge which tendsto maintain the links 3 to the crests 11a. The links 3 thus slide infact on a film of oil so that the coefficient of friction is kept verylow and the power output of the drive motor can be reduced relative tothat of previous proposals.

The conveyor thus operates practically silently and the chain can moveat an elevated speed of the order of 60 to meters/per minute.

To enable the chain to turn at bends, the vertical walls of thechannel-section members 9 are likewise provided, at least at the bendswith slide surfaces 12 of a self-lubricating material. The pressureexerted on these surfaces, at a bend, is lower than that to which thesurfaces 10 are subjected since it is merely a function of the tractiveeffort exerted on the chain and not the weight of the objects conveyed.It is however advantageous in order to obtain the effect of thehydrodynamic wedge and thus to reduce the friction force, to form thesurfaces 12 with the same shallow wave form as the slide surfaces 10 andto form chamfers on the links 3, at the vertical edges thereof.

When as in the general case the path of the conveyor is not entirely inthe same vertical plane, the chain then has rising sections,and so theupper flanges of the members 9 are provided with slide surfaces 13 Maselflubricating material, again preferably formed with a shallow V waveform.

In order to reduce further the friction force on the slide surfaces 10,as is indicated at 10a in FIG. 4, is a porous material and provision ismade for blowing in compressed air' or oil, for example through a pipe14.

We claim':

1. A chain conveyor, which comprises:

a plurality of interconnecting links, said links comprising first linksof substantial length having chamfered leading and trailing edges, andsecond links, said first and second links being connected to form saidinterconnecting links;

means for supporting loads from at least one of said links; and

guide and support means for said links, comprising at least one supportsurface having a lubricated antifriction face formed with undulationsthereon spaced less than said length on which said links slide, saidlubricated anti-friction face and said first links being operative, whensaid first links are in motion, to form a hydro-dynamic wedge oflubricant therebetween.

2. A chain conveyor according to claim 1 wherein said first linksfurther comprise two part-spherical recesses, one at each longitudinalend portion thereof, and

wherein said second links comprise two balls, one at each end thereofand engaged in corresponding recesses of adjacent links. 3. A chainconveyor according to claim 1, wherein said face is self-lubricating.

4. A chain conveyor according to claim 1, wherein means for supplyingoil under pressure to said face.

1. A chain conveyor, which comprises: a plurality of interconnectinglinks, said links comprising first links of substantial length havingchamfered leading and trailing edges, and second links, said first andsecond links being connected to form said interconnecting links; meansfor supporting loads from at least one of said links; and guide andsupport means for said links, comprising at least one support surfacehaving a lubricated anti-friction face formed with undulations thereonspaced less than said length on which said links slide, said lubricatedanti-friction face and said first links being operative, when said firstlinks are in motion, to form a hydro-dynamic wedge of lubricanttherebetween.
 2. A chain conveyor according to claim 1 wherein saidfirst links further comprise two part-spherical recesses, one at eachlongitudinal end portion thereof, and whereIn said second links comprisetwo balls, one at each end thereof and engaged in corresponding recessesof adjacent links.
 3. A chain conveyor according to claim 1, whereinsaid face is self-lubricating.
 4. A chain conveyor according to claim 1,wherein said lubricated anti-friction face is mounted on vertical guidesurfaces of said guide support means.
 5. A chain conveyor according toclaim 1, wherein said lubricated anti-friction face is mounted on ahorizontal guide surface of said guide and support means lying above thechain.
 6. A chain conveyor according to claim 1, wherein saidanti-friction face is of porous material and wherein the conveyorfurther comprises means for supplying oil under pressure to said face.